


an odd match, but a perfect one

by lol-phan-af (lol_phan_af)



Series: loving you is my favorite thing to do [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: 5 Things, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cats, F/F, False Accusations, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Misunderstandings, Multi, Nonbinary Character, POV Outsider, Pet Names, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 20:06:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13465605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lol_phan_af/pseuds/lol-phan-af
Summary: Five outside perspectives on Alex and Thomas' dynamics within the alex/laf/jeffs relationship*The blinds were shut tightly over Thomas' office door, hiding the usual clear view inside from anyone who might dare to look, the black and gold nameplate with Thomas' name on it staring back at him. James shrugged, not wanting to dwell on the minuscule, and walked into his office to find Lafayette, Alex, and Thomas all on the couch in his office.Now, this would be normal, or at least not weird, if it weren't for Alex lying on top of Thomas, fist curled in his shirt as they both lay asleep, Lafayette sitting with Thomas' head in their lap and looking down at their phone, free hand covering Thomas' heart and grazing the top of Alex's head. Thomas' arms wrapped around Alex, like a warning, and James saw now, for the first time, that his best friend of years had been in love with his biggest rival for the whole time he'd known him, just by the way he held him.





	an odd match, but a perfect one

1.  
  
John watched Alex, Jefferson, and Lafayette storm out of the conference room and down the hallway to the elevator, tension bleeding from them as they all turned to face him just as the doors slid shut. The coworkers John didn't know whispered around him, about how ridiculous they were, complaints that they never got anything done during meetings because of them, but he couldn't think much past the stone cold, long-suffering face of Lafayette from behind Alex and Thomas' squared shoulders.  
  
The three of them had been dating for a long time, longer than most people would expect, and John didn't doubt that Lafayette deserved credit for a large part of the reason they lasted so long. Being with two people as steadfast and argumentative as Thomas and Alex couldn't be easy,  and having to act as the extinguisher to their fire had to be disheartening. John worried about Lafayette, about how much of their relationship was them having to pick up the pieces and shove them back together, how they had to wrap themself around Alex and Thomas and keep them all from sinking.  
  
The cab ride home left nothing but questions. Thomas and Alex all but stormed out of the building as John left, Lafayette jogging close behind, heels clicking against the floor.  
  
"Hey, Lafayette!" John swallowed when all three of them turned to face him, Alex bouncing on his feet as his hands clenched in fists in his pockets. "I was just wondering, do you want to go to lunch tomorrow? I feel like we haven't seen each other in a really long time."  
  
"Yeah, okay," they answered, eyebrows furrowed. "Sure. We can go to that brunch place down the street, the place with the really good waffles?"  
  
"Of course. See you tomorrow!" John glanced over to see Alex and Lafayette bickering over something in the street, voices drowned out under the busy street in front of them.  
  
"See you!" Lafayette caught up with Alex and Thomas, grabbing both of their hands and dragging them across the street to their car.  
  
The next morning brought a lot on. First, the whole pot of coffee John chugged to justify his forty-seven minutes of sleep, along with the five minutes it took him to brush his teeth because he couldn't manage to keep his eyes open long enough to be hygienic. Some other key highlights were him looking for his keys to the car he didn't drive and falling asleep in the elevator before the caffeine kicked in and he ran all the way to his office.  
  
Lafayette got to the office at the same time as John, walking behind Thomas and Alex, the latter of the two sporting a large purple bruise on his jaw. John felt his own heart drop, considered that maybe he should've tried talking to Alex first, but now it was too late. Lafayette held the door for all of them, didn't mention their lunch date as they all stood too close together in the elevator, or anything at all as John stepped out on the fourth floor and let them finish their lift to the sixth.  
  
John knew Alex and Thomas fought, he knew that their weird sort of relationship was one that was rarely ever soft, at least at work, but he never imagined that either of them would ever resort to physically hurting the other. That was, if the other hadn't specifically asked for it, because Alex was into that sometimes and John had his _numerous_ memories to remind him of that. Thomas didn't feel like the kind of person who would reciprocate those sorts of things, his Southern conditioning still tucked somewhere in his chest despite how much he tried to bury it.  
  
John really had to get to the bottom of this.  
  
"So," John said lowly, "how are you?" He tapped his fingers on the smooth white table and stared at the mug of coffee below him. God, he was so fucking tired.  
  
Lafayette squinted at him, taking a sip from the weird drink they had, which started fizzy and clear but was bright orange and sludge-like on the bottom, their straw dragging through it. "I'm fine, why?"  
  
"I was just curious. How are Thomas and Alex?" He took a sip from his mug, trying to be nonchalant and failing miserably. It could be worse, he could be upfront about what he was trying to ask them about, effectively shutting them out and making them never want to talk to him ever again.  
  
"They're fine, _why_ ?"  
  
John shrugged. "I don't know. The fight they had yesterday? It got pretty intense, and then Alex came in with that bruise, and I worry."  
  
There was a loaded pause before Lafayette burst out laughing so hard they choked on their drink, hunched over as tears fell from their eyes and onto their face, as red as a tomato. John stared at them, half afraid, half worried.  
  
"No! No, no no no!" They wheezed. "It's nothing like that! Alex and Thomas aren't violent people, especially not towards _each other!_ No, Alex got that bruise from a...different thing…"  
  
"Oh, sorry. What thing?"  
  
"Look, when Thomas and Alex fight it usually ends either in a broom closet or our bedroom. Alex hit his chin off of our headboard last night, and _that's_ how he got that bruise. Nobody fought anybody," they explained, hand closing around John's like he was a child. John nodded as the pieces came together, as certain images he _never_ wanted to picture came into his mind and were subsequently _banished_ .  
  
" _Oh_ ," he whispered. "Fuck, I really miscalculated that."  
  
Lafayette snorted loud enough that it drew the eyes of the people around them. "Yeah, you did." Their amused smile dropped abruptly. "Wait, did you, _do_ you actually think Alex and Thomas hate each other?"  
  
"Well, I mean, don't they?"  
  
Before Lafayette could answer, their phone rang. Their worried eyebrows smoothed out and their face brightened as Thomas' contact name popped up on their phone, followed by a string of hearts. They held one finger up to John to pause their conversation and answered the phone, putting it on speaker so John could hear.  
  
"Hello, love."  
  
Thomas' voice came in grainy and rushed on the other side. "Hey. Listen, I'm in the flower shop by our office right now and I can't remember _any_ of the flowers Alex likes. My lunch break ends in twenty minutes and I need ten to drive back to work so I need your help like _bad_ ."  
  
Lafayette beamed into the phone. "Okay. What do you have so far?"  
  
"...I don't want to say."  
  
"Thomas."  
  
"No, I know you're at lunch with John and that you always put your phone on speaker, and I don't need that kind of embarrassment or blushing at this point in my life right now."  
  
Lafayette scoffed and put the phone up to their ear, turning the speaker off so John couldn't hear it. "Thomas, that's so cute. You can't even blame me for you blushing that's _so_ cute. I'm putting you back on speaker."  
  
"Shut up!" He snapped, voice cracking. "Help me!"  
  
"What did he get him?" John mouthed to Lafayette.  
  
"Sweet peas," Lafayette whispered, ignoring John when he asked why. "Get him roses, because he's cheesy, and look for those pretty orchids he likes that he talks about all the time. Get someone to help you make it look nice."  
  
"I'm too scared to ask anyone for help. At this point I'm kind of hoping he'll look at the flowers and see how hard I'm trying and think it's cute."  
  
"Why are you buying him flowers anyway? Like, not that I'm opposed to spoiling Alex, we both know I'm always for it, but —?" Lafayette asked, gazing dreamily down at their phone, at Thomas.  
  
"I love him, and I feel bad for...hurting him...yesterday."  
  
Lafayette laughed. "About that, John thinks you punched Alex, and that's why he has that bruise."  
  
"What?" He squeaked, still in the flower shop. "I would never hurt Alex, not on purpose! He's my sweet pea," he muttered, "god, I love him so much."  
  
"John just hear you call Alex your sweet pea," Lafayette told him.  
  
The dial tone rang out in John's ears.  
  
John sat back in his chair, feeling Lafayette's eyes on him, and tried to process all the information he'd been given. Thomas and Alex _don't_ hate each other, Thomas calls Alex _sweet pea_ and it's apparently so common in their relationship they have rules regarding who is allowed to hear Thomas say it, Alex allows this, and not only do Thomas and Alex's fights get resolved faster than John ever thought, they have a tendency to have sex as a result of them. He sighed.  
  
"I have one major question."  
  
Lafayette nodded, still grinning. "Of course."  
  
"Sweet pea?"  
  
"Thomas says he's beautiful like the flower and small and round like the vegetable."  
  
John scrunched up his nose. "I think I'm going to vomit."  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised."  
  
2.  
  
James liked to fancy himself an observant person. He picked up on little details others didn't, certain facts he could comprehend that flew over the heads of his colleagues, which would make him a exceptional lawyer if he weren't so terrible at putting pieces together. He was still brilliant at his job, no doubt from anyone, but when it came down to it, knowing two points and being able to connect them were two different things, one of which he could do, the other not so much.  
  
James wasn't an idiot, he knew Thomas was part of a relationship that involved Lafayette and Alex, but he didn't realize that it meant he was dating both of them. See, he'd been listening when Thomas explained polyamory to him, and he'd been mentally and physically present for the examples he gave, but somehow the thought of all three of them dating and being together just, it just _wasn't_ something that graced his mind.  
  
The information that immediately came to him was that Thomas and Lafayette were together, and they had been for probably longer than James knew. He knew that Lafayette and Alex were together, but not that the triangle of them connected at all of the dots involved. Thomas always talked about how lucky he is to have found them, and how he does not deserve to have them in his life. Always _them_ , never any names, so James summed it up to him talking about Lafayette and leaving it at that.  
  
It was a Tuesday, right around the time when James would leave, the sun almost dipping down below the window behind him. He shut down his computer and took the manila folder Washington told him to run down to Thomas, locking his office door behind him and walking down the hallway.  
  
The blinds were shut tightly over Thomas' office door, hiding the usual clear view inside from anyone who might dare to look, the black and gold nameplate with Thomas' name on it staring back at him. James shrugged, not wanting to dwell on the minuscule, and walked into his office to find Lafayette, Alex, and Thomas all on the couch in his office.  
  
Now, this would be normal, or at least not weird, if it weren't for Alex lying on top of Thomas, fist curled in his shirt as they both lay asleep, Lafayette sitting with Thomas' head in their lap and looking down at their phone, free hand covering Thomas' heart and grazing the top of Alex's head. Thomas' arms wrapped around Alex, like a warning, and James saw now, for the first time, that his best friend of _years_ had been in love with his biggest rival for the whole time he'd known him, just by the way he held him.  
  
"Is there something you needed?" Lafayette asked him, hand stiff on Thomas' chest while their voice remained level. They reflected the same energy Thomas did, challenging him to say even _one_ wrong word about them and they would immediately tear him to pieces.  
  
James held up the folder. "I just have to drop these files off for Thomas."  
  
"Oh. Just leave them on the desk, I'll tell him when he-"  
  
Thomas groans as his eyes open and light hits them, hand covering his mouth as he yawned and the other burying itself in Alex's hair, waking the other man on top of him up.  
  
"Hi, James," Thomas greeted. "What did you come in for?"  
  
"Why did you wake me up?" Alex complained, head barely lifting up from Thomas' chest.  
  
Thomas shushed him. "Go back to sleep, sweet pea."  
  
"We can actually go home now, if you want," Lafayette interrupted, beaming. "It's after five."  
  
Alex leaned up to kiss Lafayette, suffocating Thomas with his shirt. "Let's do that. You can be in the middle because I haven't seen you all day and I'm tired of him."  
  
"Hey!" Thomas writhed around underneath him, but Alex just laughed.  
  
James grinned, dropped the envelope onto Thomas desk, and then walked _promptly_ out the door.  
  
_Sweet pea_ .  
  
3.  
  
Hercules working on a Saturday was common, but Alex walking into his studio like owned it, like him visiting was an everyday occurrence, was not. Alex only ever came to ask Hercules to fill out orders for clothes and subsequently pay for them, or to vent all of his pent up love and anger respectively. Everything else they saved to Thursday nights in Hercules' apartment drinking soda and trying not to choke and die. Eliza usually came over then, with her extensive collection of board games, and they let themselves fall victim to the murderous and cruel game that was Monopoly Junior™.  
  
"I have decided to kill my boyfriend! You can stop his birthday sweater right the fuck now because he is, indeed, dead to me."  
  
Hercules glanced up from his knitting for a second before rolling his eyes and huffing out a laugh. "Even if you meant that, these things took me three months and you are giving me my six hundred dollars."  
  
Alex whined and collapsed on the couch Hercules bought after Alex complained that there were no soft things in the room to throw himself onto dramatically. "I do mean it. Burn it."  
  
"For two hundred dollars, sure. I'll burn it. But until you have that, no. Why, what did Thomas do? Or, what did you do to Thomas?"  
  
Hercules loved Alex, but he knew the man could be just as difficult a boyfriend as he was a friend. Not many people could pull half of the shit Alex did without being broken up with or killed, but Thomas was just as ridiculous, so they were an odd match, but kind of a perfect one.  
  
He remembered the early days of Thomas and Alex's relationship, how everyone in their office _knew_ that they would get together, in some form or the other, to the point where people bet on it in a ring run by John. Hercules, in addition to being uncomfortable with the whole thing, bet ten dollars that something was going to go wrong, and they would all lose their money.  
  
Lafayette came to the office four years ago in May, and Alex fell _hard_ . It didn't help that they took to Jefferson, and forced him and Alex, pining for both their new coworker and each other, into one another's close company. One thing led to another and by June the next year, they were together and Hercules was two thousand dollars richer than he was the year before.  
  
"He won't let us get a cat." Alex pouted. Hercules couldn't _believe_ him.  
  
"Alex."  
  
"I want one so bad! I literally brought it up in the chillest way possible-"  
  
"So you yelled _can we get a cat_ in his face while he was sleeping."  
  
Alex glared at him and did _not_ respond. "He said that we can't just decide _now_ that we want a cat, and that getting one is like having a _child_ , but like I want four thousand of those too, so what about that?"  
  
Hercules stopped knitting for that one, full attention on Alex's distraught face, his hair hanging down over his eyes. His arms crossed over his chest, sleeves covering his hands. He stared at the floor and pulled his legs into his chest.  
  
"I thought you didn't want to have kids?"  
  
Alex looked up at him. "Well no, not when I was working a job that paid close to nothing and had to live in an apartment in a condemned building because I couldn't afford anything else. Now I have, like, a job and an apartment and a therapist, people I'd actually want to have kids with. That's not the _point_ now, though, Hercules! The point is I want a cat and Thomas won't let us get one."  
  
"Where's Lafayette on this?" He went to the back to his little mini fridge, taking two grape sodas out and handing one to Alex. He crashed down on the couch, letting Alex lay his head on the arm rest next to him, his torso entirely in his lap.  
  
"They said they're not telling their opinion, but I know they want a cat. They were on my laptop the other day when I brought it up first looking at cat adoption websites, I _know_ they want a cat."  
  
"Tell Thomas that?"  
  
"No. If I want Lafayette to admit they want a cat, I have to talk to them first. That, however, is going to be later. _Now_ , I have to go buy peaches and mulberries and bribe my boyfriend into letting us get a pet." Alex stood and got up to leave. "Hey, is that wine shop by the farmers market open on Saturdays?"  
  
"I think."  
  
"Perfect."  
  
The bell on Hercules' door jingled and Alex was gone, leaving Hercules alone with his kitting.  
  
_(11:21)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: UPDATE ON THE CAT DEBATE_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:22)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: ARE YOU GETTING ONE_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:22)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: !!!!!!!_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:22)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: wait he told you abt it too??_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:22)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: he not only told me, he came to my HOUSE and woke up my WIFE to tell me_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:23)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: ,,,you just wanted to say your wife_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:23)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: yes bc I love maria very a lot but at the same time he Did come to my house and he Did wake her up w how hard he knocked on the door bc she was sleeping on the couch lookin like an a n g e l  
_  
_(11:25)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: I HAVE GOTTEN MY BOYFRIEND DRUNK AND HYPED UP ON THE PEACHES HE LIKES AND HE SAID THAT WE CAN GET A CAT AS LONG AS HE CAN NAME IT_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:25)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: WE'RE GOING TOMORROW_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:26)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: ,,,,you got your boyfriend drunk so he would let you have a cat??_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:26)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: I got my boyfriend drunk because when he's drunk he likes to spoil me, eliza, but yes essentially it was so he'd let me get a cat_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:27)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: he spoils you when he's sober_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:27)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: and I do shit like Ask him before buying animals so this is a fair deal_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:28)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: yeah speaking of buying animals, maria said No to the goldfish farm bc fully grown goldfish, and I quote, ""scare her""_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:28)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: I even pulled the ""we can be gay farmers together in the country"" card and she was like,,,,no_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:28)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: I told you it wouldn't work_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:29)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: I JUST WANNA MOTHER LIKE 50K GOLDFISH IS THAT TOO MUCH_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:30)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: yes_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:30)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: ANYWAY_ _  
_ _  
_ Hercules laughed and closed his phone, rolling over in his bed and falling asleep.  
  
_(9:18)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT_ _  
_ _  
_ _(10:33)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: lafayette has Picked one Out and I Love Her she's gray and Very Round and I am Ready to be a Father_ _  
_ _  
_ _(10:33)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: I'm crying rn just so y'all know_ _  
_ _  
_ _(10:40)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: ok I take it back, I'm going to kill thomas he just named our first born child Fettuccine_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:00)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: no wait ffuck no I Thomas is so cute I love him so much and he's tlaking to fettuccine bc he doenskt kno w I'm downstais and hes sasyaing how he thoght he didn't want a cat and how he onlyg ot one bc he loves me and he saw how mcuh I Wanted One but now he sees fettuccine and shes not tbad and he kind of loves her and I'm crying he just saw me bc I sobbed fuck fuck fuck_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:08)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: lafayette is here now and we're gonna get fettuccine some BOMB ASS STUFF AT PETSMART_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:10)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: god that man loves you so much_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:10)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: idk how_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:10)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: RUDE AS FUCK_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:10)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: also hey completely hypothetical and I'm talking about the Future here, but what if I just liked,,,,proposed,,,,,to my two significant others who I love dearly and want to spend the rest of my life w and marry and have like,,,human children,,,and two more cats,,,,with_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:11)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: alex oh my god!!_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:11)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: first, I love this, second, I Love This, third, you are running on an love high right now bc of fettuccine and you need to come down from that before deciding on Anything else_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:12)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: yeah I know!! but still,,,,I want to marry them,,,,a!! lot,,,,,_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:12)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: omg!! alex have I mentioned I love you and am proud of you and you are my Best friend_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:13)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: are you ever just so !! proud of alex and his fucking personal development_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:13)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: yes bitch!! what the fuck!! I love our cute best friend my heart is soaring for him rn!!_ _  
_ _  
_ _(11:13)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: aH!!_ _  
_ _  
_ 4.  
  
Eliza remembered, in very clear detail, how difficult it was to try and find a ring for Maria when she decided to propose to her, specifically because she had two best friends who could _never agree_ when it came to things like this. Eliza loved them, and gave them a lot credit for the courage they helped her work up to actually ask Maria, but when it came to picking rings they were absolutely helpless.  
  
It was their sixth Saturday out and their thirteenth jewelry store they visited. Alex couldn't decide on a budget, or the stones, or the metals, and Hercules had ideas for all of them, none of which Alex wanted. Eliza picked whatever was nicest, based on what she thought Thomas or Lafayette would most like, but according to Alex, if it wasn't _perfect_ , it wasn't worth it.  
  
"Okay, I'm really sorry, but I don't know their ring sizes but these are those," Alex told the person helping them, handing them two rings he stole from the box on their dresser. The worker blinked at him and turned, going to size the rings as his phone rang.  
  
"You're ridiculous and I hate this," Eliza whispered, but Alex was too busy answering the phone to reply.  
  
"Hi, love!" He chirped, trying not to sound too obvious, voice cracking. His face turned red as he cleared his throat. "Oh, I know! I'm really excited for it, actually."  
  
"Thomas?" Hercules asked. Alex nodded.  
  
"I should be home by, like, four, so I'm sure I won't be late. Oh, uh, I'm just….at lunch...with Hercules. I'll see you tonight, bye!" He sighed, too loud for the silence of the jewelry store, and rested his forehead on the glass counter.  
  
"Are you alright?" Eliza rested her hand on Alex's shoulder, looking up at Hercules over Alex.  
  
"He thinks I'm cheating on him. I know he does."  
  
"Alex…"  
  
"No, he, he's, he thinks I'm cheating on him. I'm trying to buy engagement rings and he _thinks_ I'm _cheating on him_ . Fuck."  
  
Hercules took back the rings from the jeweler and wrote down the sizes. "Did he _say_ he thinks you're cheating on him?"  
  
"No, but he asked where I was, in like the way he does when he gets _really_ anxious about stuff, and I know him. I know he thinks I'm cheating on him, and-" He stood up finally, wiping his tears off from the counter with his shirt sleeve. "I have to go home, I, I just have to leave and go home and talk to Thomas and I-"  
  
"Go," Eliza told him, watching as he ran out and caught a cab, still crying as he climbed inside.  
  
_(3:56)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: eliza are you home_ _  
_ _  
_ _(3:56)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: yeah why_ _  
_ _  
_ Alex's knocking came a moment later, quiet sobbing not being muffled even through the thick wood of the dead. Eliza rushed to detangle herself from Maria's arms to answer the door, not even getting a chance to see him before he collapsed in her arms.  
  
"I'll call Hercules," Maria said.  
  
\---  
  
"I got home and he was really upset, and Lafayette wouldn't, they wouldn't really talk to him," he explained, curled up in a ball and leaning his head on Hercules' shoulder. "I got home and he asked where I was again and I said the same thing when he called, that I was out with Hercules, and he didn't believe me, and he, I didn't want to ruin the surprise, so I, but I couldn't find another way to explain it, so we got into this huge fight, and I couldn't, I couldn't."  
  
It took an hour and a half for him to stop crying and tell them what happened, wrapped up in the softest blanket in their house and shivering, gripping a small cup of cherry tea in his hands. Maria sat next to him, running her hands through her hair and Eliza sitting across from him on the coffee table.  
  
"Do you want to stay here tonight? You don't have to go back if you don't want to," Eliza offered, Maria nodding as they glanced over at each other.  
  
"I don't want to inconvenience you."  
  
"Do you want to go home?"  
  
Alex shook his head as someone else knocked on the door. Hercules looked over at them, like he was counting them. He shrugged as Eliza got up and opened the door, swallowing as she saw Lafayette standing in the door, face and eyes red, hair stuffed underneath a thick wool hat and their jacket buttoned wrong.  
  
"Is he here?" They breathed, shaking hands wringing.  
  
Eliza froze, managing to shake her head stiffly. "No, he's not, why?"  
  
"We got into a fight. I already went to Hercules', but he's not home, or he’s not answering, I don’t know. Please, Eliza."  
  
"No, I'm sorry, he didn't come here. I'll text him, though, and then I'll text you if I find out."  
  
Lafayette nodded, but didn't seem to believe her. "Okay, thank you. Sorry to interrupt your night."  
  
She fell asleep that night curled around Alex with Maria holding her, Hercules snoring on his other side. Alex promised he would go back tomorrow morning, but Eliza knew Hercules was going to keep him here until after he made breakfast and ensured they all ate.  
  
"Thank you for taking care of me," Alex choked, crying again.  
  
"It's no problem," Eliza promised, leaning over and kissing his cheek. "We would do it no matter what."  
  
The next morning, Lafayette came back to their apartment, knocking on their door harder than they had the night before. Eliza stumbled out, hoping Alex didn't wake up like Maria did when she got out of bed, hand pausing on the doorknob as she heard voices on their other side.  
  
"Are you gonna talk to me?" Thomas asked, strained and tired.  
  
"Sure, if you stop acting like a child and actually make me _believe_ that you're thirty years old instead of _three_ ."  
  
" _Gilbert_ ."  
  
"He's the love of our life, Thomas. We've been together three years and the only serious thing he _ever_ asks us for is to trust him. We have offered the world to him, time and time over, and he refused it every single one because all he wants is for us to love him and trust him and believe that he would _never_ do anything to hurt us on purpose, which he _wouldn't_ . Then, instead of believing him, you let your own anxieties and unfounded fears plague your mind and accuse him of something he would rather _die_ than do. So no, you don't get to _Gilbert_ me."

"I know, I know what I did, and I'm _sorry_ . I was being stupid, I know, I _know_ that . I love him, Lafayette, I didn't mean to hurt him. I was just being an idiot."  
  
"I'm not the one you should be telling this to." They paused, then added, "Just so you know, I still love you. I'm upset, and I think that this is _stupid_ because you can't think things through before you act, but I'm not-" they sighed, "I do love you."  
  
Eliza swung open the door, eyes wide at the sight of both of them. Thomas' shoulders slumped, bags under his eyes and his shirt tucked half way in his pants, no jacket on. His shoes didn't match. Lafayette looked better, at least clothes wise, hair pulled up into a messy bun that could be cute if Eliza didn't understand the context. Their makeup was smudged, rubbed off in some places. They'd been up all night, probably not talking, worrying about Alex and jumping to the worst conclusions. She wanted to comfort and kill Thomas all at the same time, sorry because he's so distressed, but angry because he wouldn't have to be worried if he trusted Alexander in the fucking first place.  
  
"Eliza, _please_ ," Lafayette begged, "please tell me he's here. He won't answer my calls or Thomas' and he didn't come home last night. I know you said he wasn't here, but-"  
  
"He's here. He's been here since last night, but he wasn't, he didn't want to see you yet. He was really upset last night, Laf, so whether or not he wants to see you now is his choice. If he doesn't want to see you, you have to leave. I'm not kidding."  
  
They both nodded and Eliza led them into the living room, telling them to stay there. Hercules and Maria pushed themselves closer to Alex in the center of the bed in Eliza's absence, trapping him in a small little cocoon of arms and blankets. Alex was awake, picking at his lips with his teeth, staring off at a blank space on the floor, glasses stranded on the nightstand behind Maria. He looked up at Eliza as she came in, trying to sit up but trapped in Hercules' grip.  
  
"Lafayette and Thomas are here," she said. "They're really worried about you, and Lafayette said they called you a bunch but you never answered, which I understand. I told them you were here, but whether or not you want to see them is your choice."  
  
Alex pulled Hercules' arms off of him, sitting up. "I'll see them." He groaned. "I wish I could go back to yesterday and make sure this never happened."  
  
"I know." Eliza grabbed his glasses and handed them to her. "But it happened."  
  
"I know." He sighed and got up, following Eliza out into the living room.  
  
Lafayette wasted no time. The second they saw him, they pulled Alex into their arms, breath shuddering as they kissed the back of his head. Alex balled up their jacket in his hands, trying to pull them closer as French words tumbled from their mouth, tears dripping into Alexander's hair. Alex buried his face in their chest like he was trying to melt into them, mumbling back in response. Thomas watched behind them, curling further in on himself, looking much older than he was.  
  
"I'm so glad you're okay," Lafayette whispered once Alex pulled away, wiping his tears away with their thumbs.  
  
"Please, can we go home?" Alex wrapped his arms around their waist. "I want to sleep more, and I miss Fettuccine. Plus, Hercules almost killed me last night, and I would like to ensure that doesn't happened again."  
  
"Rude," Hercules muttered, stumbling out of Eliza's room with Maria. Eliza snorted as Maria hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek, resting on Eliza's shoulder, still tired and trying to find warmth wherever she could get it. Eliza loved her friends, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't waiting for them to go home so she can pull all of their blankets of their bed around them and fall asleep again with her wife.  
  
"Of course, love." Lafayette kissed his forehead and turned to leave.  
  
"We can talk at home," Alex told Thomas as he grabbed his hand, Thomas nodding and following, eyebrows furrowed, frown deep set on his face as he held Alex like he was glass, so scared of hurting him more than he already had as they left and walked down the hallway together.  
  
\---  
  
_(6:47)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: yknow how thomas has that thing about getting really upset when he like,,,,hurts me in any minor way,,,,_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:48)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: ,,,yeah_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:48)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: well now he hurt me in !! a pretty major way !! and he's,,,,,literally losing his damn mind I told him I loved him and he started crying and he's apologized literally three thousand times even though I already accepted his apology the first time_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:48)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: I left to shower and he Made me Dinner in that time even though lafayette Told him we could just order smth and I really don't think he knows what !! to do !! because like when I hit my chin off the headboard and got that huge bruise, he got me flowers and we were like Fine but now it's like !! bigger than that and I just want to put it Behind us but that Isn't going to help his guilt I!!_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:49)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: me and laf are gonna talk to him more later but !!_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:50)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: bitch I'm stressed_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:51)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: aw alex_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:53)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: lafayette thinks I should Ask him for things,,,bc right now he's literally killing himself over trying to guess what he can do to help me_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:53)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: but like the only thing I want Right Now is more cats and to marry them so it's like,,,,,neither of those things would be good for where we're at rn_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:54)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: why don't you go on like a trip for a few days,,,,,I remember you specifically telling me once you wanted to fuck thomas on a beach so why not,,,,make your dreams reality_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:54)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: OKAY FIRST !! OF !! ALL!!  
  
(6:55) **…..slime man** : WHAT !! I !! SAY !! TO !! YOU !! ABOUT !! FUCKING !! THOMAS !! WHEN !! I !! AM !! DRUNK !! SHOULD !! NOT !! BE !! PUT !! ON !! THE !! RECORD!!!!!!!!!! _ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:55)_ **_the best mom_ ** _: it was like a ten minute long speech alex and you said it to like three other people at like nine at night with Bystanders it's public fuckin record hon_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:55)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: ,,,,,,,so more abt this beach idea,,,,  
  
(6:55) **…..slime man** : I'll talk to lafayette _ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:56)_ **_chaotic good_ ** _: listen I'm not saying thomas was in the right here AT ALL but the picture he posted of you, lafayette, and fettuccine where you're lying on them and she's curled up on your chest?? the fuckigng weight that hit me when there was NO caption bc honestly what could he say?? and I just !! I had a moment of witnessing Art_ _  
_ _  
_ _(6:56)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: I love!! my cute small family!! very so much!! I'm gonna go talk to laf now abt this!!  
  
_ \---  
  
It took eight months for them to get back where they were, for Alex to find a ring, and to make a proposal plan that was equal parts cheesy, romantic, and surprising.  
  
He planned to propose at their house, when Thomas and Lafayette were gone for the day so he'd have all day to set up for when they came home, and then promptly spent upwards of one hundred dollars on _just_ roses. He wrote and planned a speech, tucked tissues into the pocket of his newly tailored suit, just in case the inevitable happened. Eliza and Hercules screamed when they got the messages.  
  
_(5:28)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: MY HEART RATE IS SO FAST RIGHT NOW I FEEL LIKE IM BUZZING IM GETTING ENGAGED TONIGHT_ _  
_ _  
_ _(5:29)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: DONT TEXT BACK IT WONT HELP MY NERVES RN BUT AT THE SAME TIME PRAY FOR ME BC IN EED LCUK OKAY GOODBYE LOVE YOU BOTH SM AND IM HAPPY YOU HELPED ME W THIS ALSO ELIZA ILL GET MARIAS HAIR GEL BACK TO YOU ON MONDAY THANK HER AGAIN FFOR LETITNG ME BROROW INT_ _  
_ _  
_ "He's gonna propose!" Hercules yelled, bouncing on his feet in the living room. "I'm so excited, I feel like _I'm_ being proposed to, this is so much to handle all at once. Our sonis getting engaged."  
  
"You both really love Alex," Maria commented, watching amused as they screamed over each other.  
  
Eliza took a handful of popcorn from the bowl in her lap. "If you would've seen Alex, like, five years ago, when he was always sad and numb and dead inside, and we were the only people he actually trusted, as opposed to seeing him literally _shine_ now, when he's happy and in love  and has us still, who support him through everything and are so proud of everything in his life, you would _understand our joy_ . He's getting married!" Eliza screeched, jumping up and bouncing around with Hercules.  
  
Maria smiles, curls falling across her shoulders. "Fair point."  
  
It wasn't until ten that Alex both sent them a picture of four Polaroids side by side by side. The first is one Alex took before he asked, of their dining room table with nothing but roses on it, small pictures of all three of them and Fettuccine printed out tucked in little card holders in each small flower pot, the box with both rings inside at the very front. Next to it is a photo of Thomas and Lafayette's hands with the rings, the stones glittering in the camera flash, and then one of the two of them kissing Alex's cheeks, Lafayette holding so they can get all of them in it. The last was of the three of them lying in their bed next to each other, smiles too big for their faces and bare shoulders too wide for the picture. Fettuccine laid in between Alex and Lafayette, eyes closed as turned away from the flash.  
  
_(10:07)_ **_…..slime man_ ** _: THEY SAID YES!!!!!!!!!_ _  
_ _  
_ Eliza, Maria, and Hercules ended up getting a noise complaint that night from all the screaming, but they really couldn't care less.  
  
5.  
  
"When did you get _this_ ?" Angelica asked, holding the small angry cat in two hands, heart melting as she writhed around.  
  
The lights were turned down low, two bottles of wine set on the counter of the breakfast bar. Angelica didn't know what was happening, only that Thomas texted her yesterday inviting her over tonight, offering no reason as to why just the insistence that she _has_ to. The things she wouldn't do for Thomas was a secret list nobody was to _ever_ find, both to save her dignity and to prevent Thomas from knowing that, if he asked, she would probably kill a _number_ of people in his name.  
  
Thomas looked up from the onions he was cutting, tears _pouring_ from his face. "Like, ten months ago, where have _you_ been?"  
  
"I love her. What's her name?"  
  
"Fettuccine Hamilton-Jefferson-Lafayette."  
  
Angelica sat next to the cat on the couch. " _Fettuccine_ , oh I love and hate it at the same time."  
  
"Yeah, Alex wanted a cat, I didn't _want_ a cat, he bought me peaches and wine and got me drunk, we have a kid now. It was part of our agreement that I got to name her, Lafayette got to pick her out, and Alex got his way, so."  
  
"He usually does with you," Angelica teased, too preoccupied with Fettuccine to notice Thomas coming into the living room until he collapsed half on our lap.  
  
"He's beautiful and I'm going to marry him," Thomas whispered. Angelica could hear the aura of the room shift as her heart sped up. "That's why I invited you over, because I'm engaged to Lafayette and Alex and you're my best friend so I wanted to tell you in person."  
  
" _WHAT_ ?" Angelica yelled, scaring Fettuccine off. Thomas sat up, beaming, eyes still red from the onions, an overwhelming amount of barely contained joy thrumming underneath his skin. Angelica ran to the kitchen, ignoring the small bowl of onions and taking the bottles of wine, stealing the magnetic corkscrew from the fridge and handing one of the bottles to Thomas. "Okay I need to know everything."  
  
It didn't take much longer for things to get out of hand.  
  
The thing about drinking an _entire_ bottle of wine in a short time, is that alcohol tends to _alter_ the way you act. Angelica laid her head on Thomas' stomach on the floor, playing with her empty bottle of wine, half asleep but in, like, a drunk way. She might pass out, but she, at the same time, didn't want to, enough so that she might be able to stay up if she _really_ worked at it.  
  
"You're, do you even _want_ to get married?" Angelica leaned back to look up at him, still nursing his bottle of wine.  
  
Realistically, she already knows the answer to this question. She was there when he came to her door at four in the morning three years ago, crying, asking for her help because he was in love with not only the man he'd been feuding with for years, but also the person he wanted nothing more than to impress. She watched him pine for them for a year, picking up the pieces of his broken heart and trying to fit them back together, falling asleep and her, Dolley, and Martha's place because he was too dehydrated to even walk. She knew how much his life changed because of them, and how much he would give to and for them, but she still had to ask.  
  
"Of course!" He squeaked. "I love them so much, Angie, I want to spend the rest of my life telling and showing them that."  
  
"That's so cute."  
  
Fettuccine came over then, Thomas snorting at Angelica's soft gasp and then yelping as she crawled on his face and _just_ suffocated him. Silence fell across the apartment for a moment, and then Angelica realized Thomas was crying again.  
  
"I love this fucking cat," he choked, "so much, and she hates me and does this when she wants to kill me, or because she's leeching me for warmth. Lafayette and Alex do that sometimes, because apparently I'm really warm when we sleep, but Alex does it more because he's tiny and cold and I'm going to _marry_ them. When we got together, I would've never _imagined_ that I would get to be with them forever."  
  
"How did you get together with them again?"  
  
"You remember!" Thomas swatted her shoulder. "It was in May, and I, there was that heat wave because climate change-"  
  
"Right."  
  
"Right. Anyway, the heat wave, and we went to, like, dinner, and none of us were dating then and I was like _wow, this is a date_ and then I was like _no, it can't be a date, because we're not_ **_dating_ ** , and that time was weird, it felt different, and then Lafayette invited us to their apartment because they had the best air conditioning, and then we, _god,_ we were so dumb, and in love and smitten, we ended up, like, fucking."  
  
Angelica laughed, the sound bouncing around the walls of their living room. "How did we get from you being invited to their apartment to fucking them?"  
  
"There was some clothes shedding because of the heat, and some staring, which led to a lot of weird energy and tension, and then Lafayette kissed me and I couldn't move afterwards, it was so nice and _good_ ."  
  
"Please stop now," Angelica pleaded. "Not that I don't support you, but I think your sex life with Lafayette and Alex is really a private thing between the three of you."  
  
"You're right, that's true."  
  
Lafayette and Alex came home, Alex in Lafayette's shirt and Lafayette wearing nothing underneath their hoodie, goosebumps covering their skin. Their voices dropped to whispers as they came into the room, sensing that this wasn't really a time to yell, both stopping as they saw Angelica and Thomas on the floor, eyes soft as Thomas stared at the bare expanse of Lafayette's torso.  
  
"Hey," Thomas breathed, voice cracking.  
  
"Hello, love," Alex greeted, swaying on his feet, the good kind of hazy. Lafayette kissed their intertwined fingers where their ring met his bare finger, smugness fitting comfortably on their face.  
  
"How was boxing?"  
  
"It was fine, got kind of empty after ten, though." Lafayette shrugged, stifling a smile.  
  
"Not that they were complaining," Alex mumbled, "by ten thirty I can assure you they were _not_ boxing." Angelica sat up, and took the wine bottles back to the kitchen, letting the three of them have their moment.  
  
"You actually got them to fuck you in that big boxing ring?" Thomas asked as Alex pulled him up, pressing them together and standing on his tippy toes, whispering something and giggling when Thomas shuddered and replied.  
  
Lafayette laughed and kissed his temple. "No. You're drunk and have to sleep, plus I'm not sure I could even do it if I tried."  
  
"Fine, I love you."  
  
"We love you too," they echoed.  
  
They stood for a while in the living room in silence before all going to climb their stairs to their bedroom. Different kinds of nebulous, all drunk on different things and love, all sleepy and ready to just collapse with the comfort of one another and the _dream_ that was the feather bed mattress topper that Angelica has experienced only once, when she helped Thomas pick out outfits to wear to their first anniversary date.  
  
"Do you want me to call Dolley?" Thomas called down to her, small pale hands that could only be Alex's pulling his shirt over his head.  
  
"No, I'm going to crash on your couch if that's alright."  
  
"Okay! I'm still going to text Dolley and tell her, because I don't think you're coherent right now but she likes to know where you are." A yelp that implied his pants were suddenly removed accompanied his words.  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
The door shut after Thomas and Alex went back into their room, quiet laughter and footsteps loud enough through the floors that Angelica could hear it. She grinned at the thought that Thomas, her best friend besides the women she loved, getting engaged, _married_ to two people he loved for so long. The year of pain he went through healed and tended to by two people who gave him all the love they had to offer, to the best of their ability.  
  
Fettuccine curled up by her face as she fell asleep, and all her thoughts about Thomas went away as she remember just how much she loved this fucking _beautiful_ cat. 

**Author's Note:**

> i love fettuccine if you haven't noticed she is my fave fictional cat and the most important aspect of anything i've ever written
> 
> also idk if i should make this a lil trilogy where this is the first part and then the next is laf/alex and then the laf/jeffs dynamics within this verse!! also bc I feel like fettuccine might need more Content,,,and also I might take her and put her in other fics bc i love her so much
> 
> tumblr: lol-phan-af!!


End file.
